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If you had told me in January that owning PulteGroup and Lennar was a smart move I probably would have scoffed at you. But now at the end of the year, these two companies are considered a couple of the best investments of the year, and still worthy to hold on to.

Boosted by the beginnings of a housing recovery, PulteGroup and Lennar ranked among the 10 largest gainers in the S&P 500. Pultegroup nearly quadrupled—shares rose 182% to $17.61. Lennar, meanwhile, increased 94% to $37.80.

For sure, some of these gains came because of better industry-wide conditions. Confidence among home-builders is quite elevated. Housing starts and prices considerably improved, and the inventory of foreclosed property continues to slowly dwindle. Both Pulte and Lennar managed this period well. via Forbes

These two companies got lean in time to survive the downturn and then created true value as the market starts to recover. Let’s hope that the success of these two companies is an indicator for the future.